Ethnic and Women's Studies

Note from the chair, Dr. S. Terri Gómez

Welcome to the EWS Department! The origins of Ethnic and Women's Studies go back to 1970 when courses in African American, Chicano/Latino, and Native American Studies were instituted at Cal Poly Pomona. Three years later, in 1973, an academic "home" was created both to house these courses and to shepherd the development of Ethnic Studies at Cal Poly Pomona. Soon thereafter, concentrations in Asian American and Women Studies were added, and the Ethnic and Women's Studies Department we know today took its shape. At the turn of the 21st century, the Department achieved a critical milestone with the institution of the interdisciplinary GEMS (Gender, Ethnic, and Multicultural Studies) major. Students majoring in GEMS or with minors in African American, Chicano/Latino, Asian American, Native American, Women, and Multicultural Leadership Studies have steadily grown over the years. GEMS graduates are now to be found in many graduate programs and walks of life, including teaching, social work, human resources, counseling, business, law, non-profit organizations, and public service.